Colleague Box has been on a lovely little journey and we’d love to share that with you.
Firstly you may be wondering, “Why did you come up with the idea to create letterbox friendly gift boxes for workplaces to send out to their colleagues to show their appreciation?” Great question. Well, because the man who came up with the idea was trying to do exactly that!
Neil, CEO of Selenity, was looking for ways to stay connected to his entire team whilst we are all working from home. You see Selenity is absolutely lovely and is always looking for ways to help the team feel motivated, happy, part of the team, valued and looked after. They also care A LOT about our wellbeing.
But no amount of Google* searches gave Neil the ideal solution. A little lift, a token gesture to say “Hey, I know we can’t see each other but please know that you’re still very much appreciated.” (*Other search engines are available!)
So he set about creating his own box. He sourced the goods and sent out his first box and awaited feedback. The feedback was…brutal! But the idea was definitely good.
He shared his idea with some other colleagues, namely husband and wife Adam and Natalie Bamford, and tasked them with finding a good looking box, with exciting contents. Our brief was simple: ‘to put a smile on people’s faces.’
Here comes the technical bit, and by technical I mean, “Can this fit through a letter box or not?” Okay so not exactly technical but certainly trickier than you think! Our wonderful Royal Mail service are pretty strict on sizes *read VERY* and so we needed to ensure the contents will fit nicely in the box and the box will fit nicely through the letter boxes of recipients houses. So what can we fit in the box that people will enjoy?
Our first thoughts of what could go in were 1) alcohol and 2) chocolates! (Would like to say that’s lockdown related but it’s definitely not!) We tried many different miniatures and chocolate bars – you’ll be pleased to know that none went to waste. 😉 But sizes were an issue. We eventually decided that a round bottle was a no-no but the flatter Gordon’s Gin were absolutely ideal. But we know that gin may not be everybody’s cup of tea which leads us seamlessly onto our next item…tea bags!
Inside our Colleague Boxes you will find a couple of individually wrapped tea bags. We have a variety of delicious flavours including Wild Berry and Peppermint as well as good old classic Yorkshire Gold. No explanation needed really – tea is a hug in a cup isn’t it? And whilst we can’t hug anyone physically, why not do it with a nice cuppa instead.
We also wanted some non edibles and something that may be actually useful so that’s how we came up with the notebook and pen. For work notes, shopping list, after lockdown dreams and plans, writing an order of what you’re going to devour first from the box – the possibilities are endless.
Fun! Remember our brief? Put smiles on faces (just in case you forgot!) This is where we needed something fun! Popcorn is fun right? You eat it watching films, you can share it or scoff the lot, it’s a little treat and it’s fun! Tick! Or sweets? Retro sweets at that. Now we’ve got you! A trip down memory lane with a DibDab or Double Dip – remember those little packets of sherbetty yumminess? Delicious and fun or something that the kids will want to pinch off you!
Personalisation is really important and we want people to know this has come from their employer so we allow you to completely personalise the inside message and add your signature too. We also include a handwritten thank you card, with the recipients name written inside and on the envelope and short ‘thank you, stay safe’ message.
To make it feel like you’re opening a present, we wrapped up the contents in beautiful tissue paper and added a touch of (recyclable) sparkle with a sprinkle of confetti.
After a bit of trial and error we finally put together what we believe is a great gift box that people will open and feel joy, valued, part of the team and will put a smile on their face. We are still learning and tweaks will be made. New items added, some may be substituted. (You can order non alcoholic boxes and vegan boxes too.) But for now we’re delighted with what we have created and we hope you or your colleagues will love them too.
Here’s what one of lovely recipients had to say about her gift box:
"I had not ventured outside my house for almost 9 weeks and I love to be around others so I am missing my friends, colleagues and the working environment. Upon opening my postbox, I was intrigued to see an unexpected letter box sized package and as I opened it, I found myself grinning after seeing the luxurious tissue paper and pretty confetti."
"I then read the genuinely heartfelt and personalised message from my employer which told me that I was still very much a member of their team and that they were still thinking of me. There was an array of heartwarming items, from mini luxurious chocolate bars and tasty popcorn to a handy little pink notebook and pen. Quite frankly at that moment it felt like my boss had knocked on the door and given me a hug of support. It was the perfect sentiment, well done Colleague Box!"
We have secure mass upload available so whether you’re ordering 10, 100 or 1000 you can easily upload the details in one fell swoop and we’ll do the rest safely and securely. Colleague
The Colleague Box Team
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